1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a loom in which use is made of a lubricant, such as oil, in particular within a shed-forming device of the dobby, cam mechanism, or Jacquard mechanism type.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Modern looms operate at high speeds, often faster than 900 picks per minute. The shed-forming devices associated with such looms need to develop a large amount of mechanical power, some of which is lost to friction, thereby producing heat. This heat production increases the temperature of the oil used within such a device for lubricating its moving parts. The oil heats up to a temperature such that a cover of such a shed-forming device can become too hot to touch, which is dangerous for an operator nearby. This heating also has the consequence of the oil reaching a temperature range in which its viscosity is significantly modified, to such an extent that it is no longer guaranteed that a film of oil between two contacting parts will have the necessary thickness.
It is known from JP-A-10 251943 to feed with oil several components of a loom, from a single tank. A water circuit is used to cool the content of this tank.
US-A-2003/0178089 discloses circulating the oil of a shed-forming device through an external plate heat exchanger of the water/oil type. That approach requires the use of a cold source external to the loom and requires water to be brought to the heat exchanger, thereby requiring pipes to be installed over a considerable length. Furthermore, that approach imposes mixing the oil used for lubricating the various portions of a loom in order to take the oil to the heat exchanger. Unfortunately, the oil that is best suited to lubricating the shed-forming device is not necessarily the same as the oil that is best suited to lubricating a beater box or means for controlling of a device for inserting picks in a loom. It is therefore necessary to accept a compromise concerning the type of oil that is to be used. Furthermore, in spite of settling devices being used, hard particles produced in the event of failure of one of the members of the loom or of the shed-forming device may then contaminate all of the other members and may significantly shorten the lifetime of the loom.